It’s a small butterfly.
And when you’ve found a life bird, a bird you’ve never seen before, you might not notice a small butterfly that lights on the ground 10 feet in front of you as you carry your spotting scope and binoculars after a 1 1/2 mile trek on a late summer afternoon.
But that didn’t deter John, who I met on the trail on our way to find the Red-necked Phalarope at a southern Lake Erie marsh.
After finding the Phalarope, we headed back to our vehicles as we chatted about the weather. Glad that the heat wave had finally broken in our area.
John suddenly stopped and said, “Did you see that butterfly?”
I wasn’t sure what he was referring to until he showed me the orange butterfly ahead of us on the ground.
Only about an inch in size, the Fiery Skipper is easy to overlook.
Unless you’re knowledgeable about butterflies, which John is.
The Fiery Skipper was a life butterfly for him. I learned it’s a butterfly found in North and South America, and that it is found from Canada to Argentina.
In addition to the Little Blue Heron he saw earlier that day, John had three lifers that day: Little Blue Heron, Red-necked Phalarope, and Fiery Skipper.
What a special day for him!
He was happy when I sent him several photos I took of the Fiery Skipper and Red-necked Phalarope.
Have you seen a Fiery Skipper butterfly in your area?
